Correspondance from Prof. Glyn Davis, Vice Chancellor, Melbourne University
to All University Staff, Friday 30th May, 2008
"After the devastation wrought by the Boxing Day tsunami in 2005, it has been sad to see further tragedy with news of Cyclone Nargis in Burma and the devastating earthquake in China.
Like the rest of the world, the University of Melbourne community has struggled to assist the many left homeless, hungry and at risk in the Irrawaddy Delta, given the attitude to date of the authorities. A commemorative service was held on 16 May and donations passed to World Vision.
Fortunately staff and students have been able to make a positive contribution in assisting aid to the earthquake victims in China.
The University is a partner with St Vincent's Hospital and Asialink in the Asia-Australia Mental Health (AAMH) consortium. AAMH has been working for some time on programs to protect the mental health of children following disasters. Within days of the earthquake in Sichuan, the ten principles developed by AAMH to guide interactions with children post disaster had been posted on the PRC Ministry of Health's official disaster response website.
Since then the team leader and AAMH project members have been advising the disaster relief program, working in Sichuan where so many children have been left orphaned and maimed. Associate Professor Chee Ng from the International Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, St. Vincent's Mental Health and Ms Julia Fraser from Asialink spent a week working with China's mental health leadership in Beijing, and at a national training program for more than 200 mental health professionals in Wuhan, assisting with a strategy to roll out the AAMH program in Sichuan.
Chee and Julia then travelled to Hong Kong to meet with the University's partners at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. As a result, CUHK will direct fundraising efforts to assist with roll out of the AAMH program to protect children in Sichuan. They have also requested that AAMH take a leadership role in establishing an Asia- pacific Network for mental health in disasters.
Thanks to all at AAMH and, more broadly, to the many staff and students who have contributed to disaster relief at a time of need."